Perceived barriers towards participation in undergraduate research activities among medical students at Alfaisal University—College of Medicine: A Saudi Arabian perspective

Abstract

Background: The importance of undergraduate research (UR) to students is well acknowledged in literature; however, little is known about its perceived barriers. The aim of study is to explore the perceived barriers toward participation in UR activities among students at Alfaisal University—College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, self-rating survey was administered. A two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare the average five-point Likert scale responses between male and female students.

Results: Two-hundred and twenty-one students (n = 221/350) participated in the survey with a 63.1% response rate. The percentage of participation in UR significantly differed by gender (males vs. females: 68.6% vs. 45.4%; p < 0.0005, Chi-square test). The top three barriers toward participation in UR were “lack of time” (77.4%), “lack of formal UR courses in curriculum” (76%) and “lack of UR mentors” (70.1%). Statistically significant differences of means were identified between male and female students regarding the following statements: “lack of supervising research mentors” (p < 0.01), “lack of interest in research” (p < 0.04), “lack of finding same-gender research mentor” (p < 0.00) and “lack of UR opportunities” (p < 0.00).

Conclusion: Our results were fairly comparable to the Western studies. Medical educators should carefully look into all UR barriers and consider implementing applicable solutions.

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely acknowledge Dr. Khaled Al-Kattan, Professor, General Surgery; Senior Consultant, Thoracic Surgery; and Dean, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for his continuous enormous support for undergraduate and graduate research activities.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

The publication of this supplement has been made possible with the generous financial support of the Dr Hamza Alkholi Chair for Developing Medical Education in KSA.